Video on illegal rally to be screened this week – IGP

KUALA LUMPUR: The police are expected to show video and photographic evidence on the July 9 illegal rally to the media at the Theatrette Hall in Bukit Aman, here this week.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the police, through the six special committees set up to investigate allegations of police aggression during the rally, needed time to complete their evaluation and examination on these claims.

"It will take us time to find out the actual number of people at the rally. We also need to interview our personnel as well as civilians to obtain data," he said during a news conference in Bukit Aman today.

He also urged the public not to jump to conclusions or have negative perceptions towards the police while investigations were being carried out, adding that the police welcomed any recordings on the rally which could be used as evidence.

"From my observations (on photos and videos on the Internet), I find there is something not quite right. We urge the public to surrender any evidence that can help us get a clear picture of what happened," he said.

On the special committees formed last week, Ismail said it comprised experienced and credible officers who worked round the clock to finish up investigations on the demonstration, but declined to reveal further details.

He said they were responsible for thoroughly investigating the six main areas where the illegal rally was held, namely, Dataran Merdeka, Masjid Jamek, Jalan Petaling, Jalan Pudu, Stadium Merdeka and Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Ismail said they lauded Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's suggestion to broadcast video recordings on how the police handled the rally, which would be evidence against claims by the opposition that police were violent during the rally.

Police are currently working hard to gather all the facts before completing investigations and exhibiting video recordings to the public.

Muhyiddin had recently encouraged the police to act fast as the alternative media and pro-opposition bloggers were already hyping up the issue to taint the government's image. – Bernama